Golf club



June 19, 1928. I 1,674,173

C. H. HAUPT GOLF CLUB I Filed March 21, 1928 I I 2 5 3 iii-1. iiiiiilij i 55: fr f Fla-2 KM QW .BY/l/SATTORNEY Patented June 19, 1928.

Uir n eoLr CLUB.

Application filed March 21,

This invention relates to golf clubs of the wooden head or drivertype, including drivers,'.brassies and spoons andv will be fully understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the appended drawing.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of a driver constructed in accordance with the invention, and Fig. 2 is a. diagram showing the means for generating the curve of the striking face.

Referring to Fig. 1, numeral 1 designates the shaft of the club, which. may be of usual construction, and numeral 2 designates the head. This may likewise be of any ordinary form, save for the shape of the striking face to which the present invention is directed. This face, designated 3, is lofted, that is, inclined rearwardly and upwardly from the sole of the club head in the usual manner to an extent dependent upon the intended use of the club, that is, only slightly for drivers, somewhat more in general. for brassies, and most for spoons. Each element (as fixed by the intersection of a horizontal plane parallel with sole of the club and the face) is as to its inner portion nearest the shaft attachment point, straight, and as to its outer portion, away from the shaft, by increasing angularity or curvature, so that the face as a whole is plane or approximate ly plane in its near side and noticeably concave as to its outer side. The general configuration thus produced is shown in Fig. 1.

' The arrow 4 in that figure represents the point on the face which. is normally used to address the ball. This point should be at the approximate center. or if displaced, then slightly nearer the shaft than the far end of the face.

To determine the exact curvature of the elements of the face 3, resort is had to graphic plotting as shown in Fig. 2. Here the axis of the shaft is represented (in foreshortened plan view) by a straight line designated 1, and an element of the striking face by 3. (It is to be understood that the sole of the club head is in the plane of the paper.) The point of normal address to the ball is designated by the arrow 4L. At this point of normal address, and. from thence inward toward the handle of the shaft, the element of the striking face is straight, and may either be parallel with the shaft as in common practice or inclined somewhat backward as is occasionally the 1928. Serial No. 263,239.

case with existing clubs of the prior art.-' To determine the points which fix the curvature of the outer section of the element the procedure is as follows: A line a. is drawn through the end of the shaft 1" at right angles thereto and a point Z) .is chosen on suchline. The point Z) lies away fromthe shaft 1 in the direction of the intended flight of the ball. From point 1 a straight line 1 is drawn to point C, which represents the intersection of the arrow 4; and shaft 1 (extended). This line 1 representsthe hypothetical position of the club shaft 1, seen in plan View when the hands of the player are brought through in the correct swing but with the shaft of the club sloping backwardly to the maximum extent it is deemed possible to provide for. This fault in. technique I have found to be one of the commonest causes of slicing. Treating the line 1 as the axis of the club shaft, the relative position of the club face is located with reference thereto by measuring off the length'of the line 1' to point C, and taking an equal distance on line 1 from point 6. From the point so fixed a perpendicular 3 is erected, on which is measured olf the distance from point C to the straight inward portion of the club face. This gives the point 3 corresponding to the center point of the face element. A second per pendicular 3 is then erected from the line 1 at the point corresponding to the outer limit of the face element. The intersect-ion of the perpendicular 3 with the axis of the arrow 4 gives a point 3 which is taken as the outer end of the face element. The point 3 is thus located'with respect to line 1 and is transferred to the same relative location with respect to line 1', as shown at 3 There is thus located a point or rather a differential length or section of the outer portion of the element of the club face, by the application of the axiom that the portion of the face in contact with the ball,

. which corresponds to the arrow 4, shall be at right angles to the line of intended flight. By choosing various points 5 along the line a, as indicated. at 1, 2, 3, on that line and proceeding as above, the curvature of the outer section of the face element is obtained.

.Mathematical determination might likewise a striking surface at right angles to the line of intended flight regardless of the angularity of the shaft at the time of percussion, so long as the handle end of the shaftis kept to its proper arc during the swinging of the club, and so long as the handle end of the shaft is brought through ahead of rather than behind the club head. These limitations are met with relative ease as co1n-- pared with the limitations upon the accuracy of the stroke in prior art clubs.

It should not be understood that it is in practice required that the exact curvature of the striking face as herein worked out graphically need be followed in order to obtain the benefits of the invention. These benefits will obviously result in great measure from any curvature following the gen eral principles here set forth.

I claim:

1. A golf club of the driver type in which the outer section of the driving, face is curved forwardly, that is, in the direction of flight of the ball.

2. A golf club of the driver type in which the outer section of the driving face is curved forwardly, that is in the direction of flight of the ball the curvature being progressive so that the remote end of the face has the greatest angularity.

CHARLES H. HAIUP'I. 

